


Collide

by GaryTheFish



Series: Hope is a Four Letter Word [41]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Loki - Canon Divergence, Mild Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 21:00:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8028790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaryTheFish/pseuds/GaryTheFish
Summary: The dawn is breakingA light shining throughYou're barely wakingAnd I'm tangled up in youEven the best fall down sometimesEven the stars refuse to shineOut of the back you fall in timeI somehow findYou and I collide





	Collide

The sun crept around the edges of the curtains, washing out the light from the lamp neither had bothered to turn off the night before. Aeslin lay on her stomach, arms tucked beneath her and facing away; her shoulderblades rose and fell with each breath in a soothing, hypnotic rhythm. Loki lay on his side, head propped on one hand as he carefully memorized her back.

A sprinkling of scars below her left shoulder, a tiny constellation he couldn't quite identify but would gladly spend the rest of his life studying. A bump along her side where a rib had healed badly, lingering evidence of a long fall and a sudden stop on one of her first excavations. Her tattoo, knots and whorls coiled between her shoulder blades. He’d never seen it completely before the previous night, and distracted as he’d been, he hadn’t realized its true extent until this moment. He continued with his study. A trio of freckles crossing her flank, a graceful, imperfect triangle. A blossoming love bite on her right shoulder, _also_ quite extensive, by the look of things; he made a note to apologize for it when she woke, or at the very least to give her a matching one on the other side.

Almost without thinking, he trailed his finger along one of the spirals in the center of her back, and she hummed softly in response.

“Missed a spot last night, did you?”

“Maybe,” he replied, watching goosebumps rise on the velvety skin with a faint smile. “I just wanted to make sure.”

She shifted to face him, the sheet pooled enticingly in the small of her back and the loose knot of her hair brushing her neck. She smiled sleepily as he twitched the covers up to her shoulders, knowing that she was likely colder than she was letting on. It was strange to see her sleeping without his hoodie. Without _any_ thing, really, but not that he was arguing. Even stranger to see her in his sheets in the cool light of morning; after coming to London, they’d kept up a rule established in Malibu that neither could spend a full night in the other’s bed, or stay until morning. Too much room for blurred lines, for sleepy misjudgments.

_Misjudgments._

He swallowed past the unexpected lump in his throat and asked the question he almost didn't want to, keeping his voice and face as neutral as possible.

“Any regrets?”

“None,” she answered without hesitation. Her brow knit a little.  “You?”

He stroked his hand down her spine in a rush of relief. “None.” A tug at the blanket. “Except you're much too far away.”

She grinned and slid closer. He nuzzled her neck as he worked his arms beneath the covers to wrap them around her, their bodies tangling naturally as breathing.

“Better?” she asked.

“Much,” he agreed with an answering smile before giving her a soft kiss. “Love you.” His face took on a thoughtful look. “Do I tell you enough?”

A laugh. “You certainly did last night.” She unsuccessfully dodged his poke with a mischievous smirk, but her face grew serious again almost immediately. “You do,” she said. “Do I?”

“Mmmhmm. Means more than you probably think, too, because I know how much it cost you to say it the first time. I don’t take any of them lightly.”

“It gets easier every time,” she admitted, and he chuckled.

“Then I’ll just have to give you plenty of opportunities to practice.”

She smiled as she traced her fingers on his face, soft along his brows, nose and cheeks. "I love you. I promise." 

He leaned into her touch, letting the words wash through him as she continued her gentle exploration. "I know."

“Thank you for being so patient,” she said after a moment, and he caught the tip of her finger between his teeth for a brief second before answering.

“I’ve known for quite some time that you give your heart _long_ before you give your body, love. You were worth the wait.” At her skeptical look, he shrugged. “It’s the truth,” he told her. “This was you all along. Your path. Your choice. And if it happens that last night was the only time we’ll be together, then I would still die content.” He pouted to cover the smirk he felt coming to his face. “Heartbroken, yes. Cold, absolutely. Lonely. Pathetic. Mad with grief by week’s end, most likely, but content to have had this single, transcendent moment.” He paused, and this time the grin did come out. “By which I mean a single series of in _creas_ ingly transcendent moments, though who’s counting?”

“Beast.”

“Succubus.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.” He twined their free hands, bringing her knuckles to his lips. “I waited centuries for you without realizing it, little one. What's another handful or two of months when compared to an eternity?”

One brow lifted knowingly. “A long time?”

“ _Norns_ , woman,” he sighed theatrically. “You have _no_ idea.” His mouth found hers at last, the kiss rough and playful as he rolled them both and trapped her beneath him. She threw her head back to allow him more access to the smooth column of her throat and he obliged, working his way down and across.

“Wait,” she said through her giggles. _“_ Wait, wait, _wait._ ”

He froze, his mind cheerfully offering up the idea that perhaps it _had_ been the only time, and he lifted his head rapidly, trying to smash down the fear on his face. “What?”

“Didn’t we have plans today?”

He stared down at her, incredulous for a moment until he finally noticed how hard she was biting her lip to keep from laughing. “Well, not any _more_ ,” he said firmly, and she smiled conspiratorially as she draped her free arm languidly around his neck.

“I very much like the way you think.”

He grinned back before turning his attention back to her unmarked shoulder.

“No surprise there,” he said before he nipped sharply at the point of her collarbone in retaliation for his momentary panic. “Admit it, girl. You always have.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback appreciated, as always. Lyric and title from "Collide" by Howie Day.
> 
> It's short, I know, but I think it needed to stand on its own. :) Thanks for reading!


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